PRODUCT REVIEWS

ABOUT US

What? Discovered that his passion for Overland Vehicles and his talents for sales & marketing could provide a unique marketing opportunity for Extreme and Adventure Sports equipment companies.

Where? X-TREME MOBILE ADVENTURES is based on the East Coast but will travel nationwide.

When? After years of thinking… Carl purchased a Sportsmobile and spent time with the team at Sportsmobile West in Fresno, CA. This spark fanned the fires of opportunity and the concept of X-TREME MOBILE ADVENTURES was born.

The Adventure Began…

As an off-road enthusiast, I have owned dozens of four-wheel drive vehicles over the years. In 1999, I bought my first Land Rover and it literally changed my life. What I really bought was a lifestyle and all that Land Rover stands for (in my mind) – travel, exploration, and the freedom to go anywhere. I began working as a volunteer with a local dealership as what I called a “raving fan.”

I attended events, helped with training, and then started working with Overland Experts working expos, training, and just plain “helping the cause.” Overland Experts offers an off-road driving program taught by a biologist and teacher, not just some guy that loves the mud! As a volunteer, I became addicted to the lifestyle and gained valuable knowledge of off-road and overland travel. Overland Experts has spent years of dedication to perfecting the process of overland travel in a safe and environmentally safe way.

With a background in sales and marketing in financial services for over 26 years, the time has come to pursue another passion. I have spent the last five years investigating the idea of purchasing an all-terrain recreational vehicle–one I could use for traveling with my wife and family on weekends and overnight adventures. When I first saw the Sportsmobile–it just blew me away.

This self-contained vehicle sleeps four with the ability to walk thru into the back portion and features four-wheel drive, an electric roof, solar power, diesel furnace, a refrigerator and outdoor shower, now that’s camping! Alan Feld (of Sportsmobile West) is passionate about the product and helping people enjoy this lifestyle.

I have combined my love for off-road adventure with my sales and marketing skills to create X-TREME Mobile Adventures. The Sportsmobile allows me to travel to various places, attend shows and expos, and represent the products, services and companies that I believe in…things I would purchase that are valuable to those who love travel and off-road adventure.

Team members include my stepbrother and his wife, Jim and Kelly Tourtellotte, owners of a successful graphic design, marketing and publishing agency, who have assisted with the concept and creation of X-TREME Mobile Adventures. Together, we have developed a strong cross-marketing platform that includes on-the-road, in-person, and on-line sales capabilities providing X-TREME Mobile Adventure sponsors value and leverage (along with other complementary companies) that have the same passion for this adventurous lifestyle. We invite you to explore our website, become a sponsor, and give us your feedback.

Thursday, July 26

Registration opens at 11:00 a.m. for all guests. Campsite setup and meet and greet. Campsite registration closes at 7:00 p.m. You must be onsite by 7:00 p.m. The Low Range Games – Bridge To Nowhere / Rat Cage6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Enjoy a challenge? Join us for two great events. The Rat Cage event will test your ability to handle your Land Rover and problem solve in tight confines. Service Bay – build a simulated log bridge and navigate your vehicle over the abyss. Minimum of three teammates required for this event.

Want to try your hand a fly fishing? Join the Orvis Adventures staff at the Orvis casting pond at the Orvis flagship store in downtown Manchester. The Orvis flagship store will open for a special private tour and sale – only for Muddy Chef attendees.

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Vendor Village Opens – Vendor Presentations

13th Street Cocktails8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Join Aaron and 13th Street Cocktails for an evening of legendary refreshments.

Join Logan/Gene/Peter for a guided off-road adventure. You will be divided into three groups. Make sure to speak with each group leader about your preference of off-road difficulty. Please have your vehicle ready for an afternoon of off-road adventure. Please make sure to have your vehicle fully fueled and ready to go. Vehicles will assemble into groups and depart promptly at 10:00 a.m.

Un-guided Off-Road (Maps will be provided in the field guide)10:00 a.m.

New for 2018. Join Eric Yohe for a quick lesson in effective spotting. Learn appropriate hand signals and how to use nonverbal communication to guide a vehicle through difficult terrain – without damage.

New location for 2018. Boorn Brook Farm and the Green Mountain Falconry School. Join the staff of the Boorn Brook Farm for a tour of this amazing estate, a chance to see an African Eagle and an assortment of birds of prey and cheer your favorite Chopped team!

What is Chopped at the Muddy Chef Challenge?It’s just like the Food Network TV show – without the kitchen! Contestants must bring everything they need to prepare, cook, and serve a gourmet meal – all from a mystery box of ingredients. Please note – there is an additional cost to register for this event. CLICK HERE to register. All Chopped contestants receive custom gifts available only to Chopped competitors. If you like a challenge this is the event for you!

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Vendor Presentations

13th Street Cocktails8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Join Aaron and 13th Street Cocktails for an evening of legendary refreshments.

Quiet Hours11:00 p.m.

Saturday, July 28

Final event registration and campsite set up. After 10:00 a.m. registration is closed unless you have spoken to the organizer and made prior arrangements. Have an emergency? Send an e-mail to info@muddychef.com

Beginner Off-Road Training9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Basic off-road skills and tactics. Anyone who took part in the Friday training will be qualified for an advanced trail run on Saturday. Guided Off-Road Tour9:00 p.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Join Logan/Gene/Peter for a guided off-road adventure. You need to have your vehicle ready for an afternoon of off-road adventure. Please make sure to have your vehicle fully fueled and ready to go. Vehicles will assemble into groups and depart promptly at 10:00 a.m.

Un-guided Off-Road (Maps will be provided in the field guide)10:00 a.m.

The MAIN EVENT! Your team will create amazing dishes for our judges. You need to prepare an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. Extra points are awarded for use of locally sourced ingredients. Click here for a complete list of rules.

13th Street Cocktails9:00 p.m. – whenever!

Join Aaron and 13th Street Cocktails for an evening of legendary refreshments.

The spirit of the event is that you cook and prepare what you can carry in your Land Rover. We don’t want to kill creativity or fun by creating a huge list of rules. At the same time, we don’t want cheating or shortcutting of the cooking process.

Official Rules for 2019:

No store bought already made items (example – Pillsbury dough, an angel food cake with canned strawberries, etc.) If it’s already made – you can’t use it. If you are not sure – ask.

No pre-prepared food (example – meat marinated at home, or purchased, pre-chopped ingredients, anything made for the event at home or store-bought and brought to the event).

Support vehicles are not allowed to carry extra supplies, cookware, grills, etc.

If you tow a camper with your Land Rover you may use it during the Challenge.

You may not utilize a camper towed by a support vehicle.

No external power (generators or electric power). Vehicle-powered inverters are allowed.

We encourage you to purchase locally sourced ingredients wherever possible (please keep proof of purchase) as this will add to your overall score.

PORTION SIZE:

Portions should be prepared for 5 judges. Please prepare small bite-size portions. Remember they are sampling more than 50 entries (times THREE courses!).

JUDGING:Each course (app, main, dessert) will have a team of five judges. The judges will stick to a predetermined route through the campsite. Your arrivals package will contain a copy of the judge’s map. We hope this will instill order and allow for teams to observe the judges progress through the campsite and fire their dishes accordingly. Judges are limited to a 2-minute stay for each presentation. If your dish is not complete the judges will return for a second visit after a complete route through the campsite.

Tell us about yourself, your history with the company and about Spectro.

About me? I’m an outdoorsman, I enjoy cooking (and eating), and I love anything with a motor, I am basically the embodiment of the Muddy Chef! Ha-ha.

My history with Spectro Oils is rather intertwined as it is my family’s business. It was my grandfather, Robert Wehman who started Spectro Oils in 1966 right here in Connecticut, where we have been now for almost 50 years! We have been family owned and operated since day 1, with the goal to make high performance, and quality lubricants.

It’s funny, but I never know how to respond to people who ask me how long I have been working here. I have been a full time employee for around 4 years now, but I have always been with the company in some regard. Even when it was sweeping the floors during the summers in High School to help out. It was amazing how I always got called in when there were weird odd jobs, or long time consuming ones, but it never mattered to me because I have always loved being around, and being a part of this company. My proof in that is whenever we package gear oils, every employee complains due to the smell, the additives in gear oils tend to be rather, shall we say….pungent. But to me it’s a great smell, it brings me back to when I would visit my dad, uncle, grandfather, and grandmother when I was young, to me it’s a nostalgic smell.

Spectro makes a number of oils that would fit a wide variety of Land Rovers. But the ones that would best fit that Buick motor would have to be our Motor-Guard 20w50. We carry it in two forms, a straight petroleum, as well as a semi-synthetic.

The reason that Spectro’s Motor-Guard line is a great fit for these motors is that they are high in an additive called ZDDP, or if you prefer the long name Zinc DiakylDithioPhosphates. ZDDP is a must have in any race cars, and classic cars/trucks, especially pre-catalytic converter, or that have flat tappet motors. The most important part off ZDDP is the zinc, because it is what we call an anti-wear agent. In short zinc bonds to the metal surfaces inside of your motor, and acts as a sacrificial barrier to prevent engine wear. It helps reduce the internal damage in the motor that can lead to major repairs.

What was your favorite moment from last year’s Muddy Chef Challenge?

Do I have to pick one moment? I honestly enjoyed the MCC from the second I got to the Falls Village Inn for the pre-weekend festivities to the closing awards ceremony. The biggest thing I enjoyed about this event though is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s FUN!!! That’s what the whole adventure is about, and it shows from every aspect. From allowing contestants to bribe judges (Feel free to contact me ahead of time this year for a list of my likes, and dislikes), to the comradery, and the genuine feeling that everyone is there to have a good time, it’s an exceptional event through and through.

But when all is said and done the one thing that impressed me more than anything else at the event was how everyone helped each other out. I saw people helping to fix other Rovers that went down, people sharing spices and other supplies during the cook-off, and some who went out of their way to make sure everyone got a chance to go out on the trails and have an adventure.

I really cannot say enough about the MCC staff, the contestants, and the event itself, it was truly a special event to be a part of.

You had a unique perspective as a judge. What was it like tasting all those courses?

Divine. Filling. Hilarious. Let there be no question I was the least proper judge at the table. Other judges were using words I barely understood to describe the flavors, and textures (I’m fairly certain they made a few of them up just to mess with me). But I started to get the hang of it, and have pretty much had Food Network on every day since then to prepare myself for this year.

Now the problem is going to be stretching out my stomach before the event. I am a larger individual who has been known to eat large quantities in one sitting before, but I have never been as full as I was after the MCC3 judging. I beg all of you that are participating this year, please bring us smaller portion sizes. You put amazing food in front of me last year, and with every bite I got larger and larger. But who am I kidding, I loved every second of it!

What to you plan to display/sell/offer at this year’s event?

I plan on setting up a nice little retail operation at the track this year. I will make sure to have a number of different oils to make sure that I have exactly what you need. I will also have with me a few of our cleaning products so you can make that Rover nice and clean for the next day out on the trail!

I will also have a number of giveaways of hats, stickers, t-shirts, and other things of that nature.

Be prepared for awards for things like;

Most outlandish campsite

Biggest Off-road Smile

Weirdest food Pairing

Best Location/Use of a Spectro Sticker

3rd Best Dressed (Behind MHP and Eric of course)

I would also just like to take a moment to thank everyone involved in the MCC. I have seen only a fraction of what Eric and Kristen do to make sure the event is as fun as possible and even that fraction was immense. Along with them are a number of instructors, photographers, other sponsors, and the Lime Rock Park office, all of whom don’t get enough credit for what they do to make this happen. I am lucky that I am able to do a lot of traveling for my job, and everywhere I went I was telling people about the Muddy Chef. I can honestly say that from Daytona to Milan, from Cologne to Chicago, there are many people out there who are jealous of this event. Please make sure that while we are there to really give credit, and thanks to the people that make the Muddy Chef possible.

The Series 1 was first assembled with leftover aircraft parts and paint anyway, so a full on Land Rover plane isn’t that much of a stretch. Though I would hope all the gauges in the plane work, unlike any of the gauges in my series.

2.Tell us a little about your background, your career and where you live.

According to my father, Jim Wollschlager, my first words were “Injector Pump”,“Dad”, and “Money”, in that order, then followed by “Mom”. I grew up watching Camel Trophy videos, The Gods Must Be Crazy and any other Land Rover movie I could get my hands on. Land Rovers were always the passport to adventure with my family as they facilitated camping trips, off road excursions, and fostered the closest friendships I have to this day. My family and Series III 88 are back home in Mystic, CT, but currently I reside in Omaha, Nebraska with my dad’s Series IIA 109 pursuing a masters degree in Oral Biology before starting Dental School at Creighton University.

3.How many Land Rovers have you owned and which was your favorite?

One does not simply have a favorite Land Rover, rather there is an appropriate Land Rover for every occasion. The Series III Stage 1 V8 is ideal for highway cruises and long distance trips. Last summer it chauffeured a newlywed couple in NYC from the Waldorf Astoria to Greenwich Village.

The Series IIA 109 is the ideal base camp/mild expedition vehicle, as it’s equipped with a winch, roof top tent, mud terrains, and plenty of room for camping stuff and friends. My Series III 88 is the jack of all trades, it looks equally at home playing U-boat in a mud hole as it does sitting parked in front of the Ocean House. If I could keep these three rovers for the rest of my life, I will be a happy guy.

4.What’s the best thing about owning a Land Rover?

The people. No other automotive community comes close. I look forward to rover events all year long to see old friends, make new ones, and commiserate over our wonderful taste in terrible British farm implements.

5.What’s the worst thing about owning a Land Rover?

The risk. Somedays the risk adds adventure and thoroughly brightens an otherwise supremely mundane day. Other days when I really need to be somewhere on time, not smelling like oil or gas, and not covered in grease, I cannot bring myself to risk taking the rover.

6.Been on an adventure? – tell us about it

How much time do you have? Among the many, my favorite is still Winter Romp 2010. I was a senior in high school and drove the Series IIA 109 300 miles up to Benton, ME with my brother by ourselves. I was so excited and spent so much time in the woods that between leaving CT on Friday and returning on Sunday I only got 3 hours of sleep the whole weekend. To top it off, we made it home under our own power!

Others include Vermentation, Vermeat, and the Muddy Chef Challenge to just name a few.

7.How do you plan to beat the competition this year at the Muddy Chef Challenge?

Bribery.

8.If you could ask Land Rover for a particular type of vehicle what would it be?

Please bring the AA yellow NAS 90! It has to be yellow, black soft top, and Hellas across the top of the windshield.

9.What upgrades/modifications does your Land Rover have?

The 88 has a custom 4-point roll cage, winch bumper and warn 8274, 33″ BFG KM2’s, and a Detroit rear locker. It’s enough to get me in and out of a lot of trouble.

10.If you were on safari which three people would you pick to bring along?

1: My dad. He’s my best friend, and I HATE that he’s always right. I have spent dozens of hours struggling with a particular nuance on a rover, he’ll let me struggle, then walk up, flick his wrist and fix whatever it was in a matter of moments, and proceed to blow cigar smoke in my face and chuckle. He knows these cars better than anyone I know, though he’ll never admit it. He’s an excellent camp host, exhaust manifold chef, driver and so much more.

2: The George. If you have to ask, you’ll meet the man, the myth, the legend, my brother, at MCC4.

3: If we brought a third, we would need a bigger rover to carry all the food, booze, and cigars. Who said camping has to be roughing it? ​

Last week I visited Lime Rock Park to check on the upgrades and changes to the track. Perhaps the most interesting change for Muddy Chef participants can be seen on the map below and highlighted in yellow. If you were with us last year, you may remember the hospitality tents were setup on a hillside. That hill is no longer there. The new paddock showers and bathrooms should be fantastic! I’ll post photos shortly.

Checkout the press release from Lime Rock below for more information.

Lime Rock spending millions as it builds a better competitor and sanctioning-body experience

“We’re changing Lime Rock’s competitor-supporting infrastructure from pre-historic to near state of the art. And it will all be beautiful,” Barber said.

By early summer, the project will result in acres of trackside pavement significantly larger than at any time in Lime Rock’s history. The A- and B-Paddocks will be perfectly smooth asphalt and combined, there are 7 acres of paddock pavement. Both paddocks will also be attractively landscaped.

Not since Lime Rock Park’s race track surface itself was re-built in 2008 has a construction project of this magnitude been greenlighted at the famous 1.5-mile automotive and motorsports venue in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner. Some of these projects will be complete in time for Lime Rock’s season-opener – the Memorial Day Weekend Trans Am Series, and Royals Sunday Car Show, May 22-24 – and the rest in time for the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar weekend July 24-25.

“In 2008, the track itself had to get done – it was exceedingly bumpy, it needed more guardrail, better run-off areas. Now we’ve addressed the paddocks in a significant, competitor-centric way,” Barber said.

“We’re doing what we need to do – what we want to do – to ensure the track’s professional racing future,” Barber says. “Major sports car races have defined Lime Rock since the day it opened, and I’m making sure that continues well into the future.

“It’s important to note that everything we’re doing, all the changes, all the improvements… all will make Lime Rock more useful, easier to navigate, more sensible – but all with an eye to making Lime Rock even more beautiful than it already is. I have no doubt that, just in the case of our paddocks, Lime Rock’s will be the most useful and attractive in the U.S.”

Of the multitude of Road to 60 projects underway, the highlights are…

A-Paddock
To be completely re-done and much larger, plus: laser-graded-and-paved to eliminate standing water; it will be landscaped; there’ll be defined spectator walkways and cobblestone curbing; and the roadways through the paddock will be much wider. The new A-Paddock is specifically designed to allow two complete race rigs, tractors included, to park in-line – with a walkway in between – from inside Big Bend up to Victory Circle. Additionally, it will provide large and extremely efficient driving exercise and hospitality acreage for automakers as well as other ride-and-drive, press day and driver-training clients.

April 2015: A-Paddock will have an attractive retention pond behind the all-new Big Bend inside guardrail

B-Paddock
To be completely re-done: Paved in its entirety (and also laser-graded to eliminate standing water), there’ll be much more usable space.

Hospitality Acreage
Manufacturers and teams now have choice of three large areas of Lime Rock property dedicated to corporate, race team and VIP hospitality. The popular Outfield hospitality acreage remains essentially the same but the existing hospitality area in the Infield (between the Chalets) has been significantly increased in size and laser-graded. The third is an exciting new hospitality area that overlooks the Righthander and No Name Straight. “The locations of our hospitality facilities will be second to none,” Barber says. Lime Rock also has three chalets, and multiple (and recently refurbished) trackside meeting rooms.

Infield Spectator Hillside
Completely re-done: Close to 100,000 square yards of earth was moved, re-contoured, re-sloped and/or removed to dramatically improve and expand the sightlines as well as make Lime Rock’s famous “picnic-blanket-and-lawn-chair” experience even more enjoyable. Thanks to the re-working of the hill, close to 45 percent of the track can now be seen from this Hillside – with just a turn of the head.

Additionally, the Infield Spectator Hillside has been extended all the way through the inside curve of the Righthander, creating an entirely new and exciting viewing area of No Name Straight and the Uphill. The Hillside reconfiguration has also allowed the spectator fencing to be moved even closer to the circuit in many locations.

A-Paddock Rest Rooms
The Men’s Room will be completely rebuilt – designed by Sam Posey and David Moore – and the Ladies Room totally refreshed.

Handicap Access
It will be improved and/or added throughout much of the facility.

Also: There’ll be a new PA system; expanded and robust wi-fi; improved cellular service; and improvements and expansions to the other spectator areas

This week we are interviewing Keenan Langlois – Muddy Chef competitor, professional Chef, LR4 owner, and the man with one of the coolest campsites at last year’s Muddy Chef Challenge.

Proust/Solihull Questionnaire

1. If Land Rover made an aircraft would you fly in it? Why/Why Not?

Yes. I would imagine if Land Rover made an aircraft it would be a helicopter, luxury on the inside with amazing maneuverability.

2. Tell us a little about your background, your career, and where you live.

I am a chef at The Sinclair Kitchen in Harvard Square, and I live in Salem, MA just outside of Boston. My family were Jeep owners since the seventies until I drove my sisters 2003 Disco a few years back. I bought my first Land Rover in 2014.

3. How many Land Rovers have you owned and which was your favorite?

I have had the good/bad fortune of owning my first TWO rovers in one year. This due to a wreck that totaled my first one in February. I soon was on the hunt for another same year and color, which I picked up four weeks ago.

4. What’s the best thing about owning a Land Rover?

This year’s snowfall in the Northeast was abominable. Loved just getting in the LR cranking it up, raise suspension and put it in drive. No shovel required! This car also saved me a lot of pain from the wreck. I walked away from a 60 mph head on collision.

5. What’s the worst thing about owning a Land Rover?

The temperamental warning lights. What’s going to light up next?

6. Been on an adventure? – tell us about it

My only great Land Rover adventure was MCC3, had a blast and looking forward to MCC4!

7. How do you plan to beat the competition this year at the Muddy Chef Challenge?

I’m not looking to win anything in the chef challenge. I just want to meet great new people and get into some serious mud.

8. If you could ask Land Rover for a particular type of vehicle what would it be?

I’ll leave the planning up to the experts. Looks like they are going in the right direction with the Evoque and the new Disco Sport!

9. What upgrades/modifications does your Land Rover have?

Since recommendations from new friends at MCC3 I had added Johnson Rods and General Grabber AT 285/65/18. Lost in the accident, but I will rebuild.

10. If you were on safari which three people would you pick to bring along?

World Class Whiskey – From Vermont?

I’ve been writing on wines and spirits for over 15 years, and living in Vermont for even longer, but the two have never had much in common – until now.

Unlike vodkas made from Maple syrup or even lactose (really), WhistlePig, which is bottled on a farm in rural Shoreham, Vermont, is not just another marketing gimmick – according to many critics it is the best rye whiskey in the world.

As I reported recently with the launch of a high-end rye from boutique bourbon maker Knob Creek, super-premium rye is the hot new spirits category. America’s favorite before Prohibition, rye is again all the rage among bartenders heralding a return of classic cocktails like the Manhattan and Old Fashioned. But WhistlePig is almost too good for this, and can be appreciated on its own.

Introduced in mid-2010 and made in very limited quantity (1000 cases), the story behind WhistlePig is unique. Industry legend Dave Pickerell, the longtime Master Distiller for the renowned Maker’s Mark bourbon distillery in Kentucky, decided to devote himself to a quest for the best rye possible, the next evolution of boutique bourbons. He wandered the earth trying rye whiskies, until he found what he considered its finest expression in the form of a new Canadian version, made from nothing but rye grain (law requires the majority of starch to be rye in order to be labeled rye whiskey, just as it requires 51% corn for bourbon, but pure ryes are rare).

For various reasons, including the fact that rye grain is considerably more expensive than corn, but also because a straight rye distillation is very tough on equipment, gumming it up with sticky residue, few distillers have bothered with pure rye whiskey. But the Canadians solved the sticky problem with two solutions, using malted rye and by developing a special strain of yeast-like fungus for distillation (for much more detail on this issue, check out this article from a great site devoted entirely to Canadian whiskies).

So Pickerell teamed up with WhistlePig founder Raj Bhakta, a former contestant on The Apprentice, who purchased a two century old working farm in Shoreham and renamed it WhistlePig Farm and began growing his own rye. Bhakta purchased the incredible Canadian rye whiskey, still in bulk storage, brought it back to Vermont, hand bottled it, and it blew critics away with rave reviews. At the same time, Bhakta and Pickerell, now Master Distiller for WhistlePig, have set up their own distillery on the farm and are working towards producing their rye from start to finish going forward.

But where it is made is not nearly as important as how it tastes.

Pickerell fell in love with the stuff because of its strength, purity (100% rye grain) and maturity – he calls the combination of proof and purity 100/100 and along with 10 years of aging in new American oak barrels, claims it hits “the sweet spot” in all three categories. I think he is right, and the balance between the higher than usual strength, higher than usual purity, and lengthy aging is perfect. It certainly does not taste like 100 proof, or half alcohol, because the woodiness for the aging perfectly balances the strength. It’s got just a hint of herby spice, maybe a little mint or cinnamon, but nowhere as much as many whiskies and less spicy zing than most ryes. Rather it j tastes of grain, its essential component, in a good, earthy, bread-like way, with the caramel-rich mouth feel of well-aged whiskies. I hesitate to call it straightforward, because that makes it sound simple, but its straightforward – it tastes like rye.

I’m not the only one who likes it. When the first batch was just released in mid-2010, it immediately earned a whopping 96-point rating from Wine Enthusiast – the highest rating the prestigious magazine has ever given to a rye. The Tasting Panel magazine gave it 94, and F. Paul Pacult’s acclaimed Spirit Journal gave it the highest possible 5-star rating. Details magazine simply called it “America’s Best New Whiskey,” while the Wall Street Journal named it one of the top five whiskies of the year. There was no shortage of other accolades.

And the odd name? Well to really appreciate that, you have to listen to the funny story in first person audio from Bhakta on WhistlePig’s website, but hey, it’s as good as lots of names, and to go with it, they created a suitable logo which reminds me of the Monopoly board game guy crossed with a pig. If I’m going to buy a $70 bottle of rye from anyone, it’s as likely as not to be a cartoon high-roller pig with a top hat and cigar.

But seriously, as whiskey lovers continue to enthusiastically embrace WhistlePig, there is likely to be a lag between the sellout of the limited first batch and future production, so hesitation might not be the best strategy.

Hillrock Estate Distillery: tiny, vertical, and beautiful

I recently took a trip up to Hillrock Estate Distillery, near Ancram, New York. The distillery is east of the Hudson River, near the Massachusetts border, in a rolling, wooded valley near the Berkshires, an area that was settled by Dutch grain planters. This is a part of the country I’m well familiar with; my wife grew up here, and we were married about fifteen miles away. So I wasn’t surprised to find that the roads to Hillrock were narrow and winding, or that the place itself was beautifully rural.

Hillrock is the baby of Jeffrey Baker, who made his money in banking…but has a farming background. He’s been involved in small-scale farming as a sideline for over 20 years, having started with a dairy farm in 1989, then organic beef, finally moving down from the Vermont border to Ancram, where he became interested in the concept of field-to-glass distilling. He was particularly interested in the idea of tasting a difference from grain grown in one field vs. another, and eventually hooked up with well-known distilling expert Dave Pickerell.

Dave’s spent quite a bit of time here in the past year, and was there when I arrived at Baker’s 1806 farmhouse. They were in a mood to celebrate: they had just that very minute received an approval email from ATTTB for their solera bourbon label. We went out on the porch, looked down on the distillery, sitting in a sunny spot between a barley field and a rye field, and talked.

Hillrock’s all about details. The rye and barley is grown here and on another 100 or so acres in the valley (the corn is grown by local farmers); it’s being grown organically, but they haven’t received their certification yet. They built a malthouse with floor maltings, what they believe to be the first such in-house distillery maltings in the country since Repeal. They’re using a variety of smoking techniques for some of the malt (and looking at old maps to find local peat sources). They are distilling on a combi-still (a pot still with a column) with a series of adjustments applicable to the type of spirit produced that Pickerell would take pains to show me (distillation began in October, 2011). They are currently aging spirit in seven different barrel sizes.

It was the seven different barrel sizes that led Pickerell to laugh and admit, “Sometimes I do things that are a pain in the ass.” His day-to-day distiller (and maltster, and warehouse manager, and bottler…), Tim Welly, grinned in tacit agreement.

That in turn led Baker to admit that he went along with all of it, and instigated some of it. That’s why he’s the sole investor. “I’m a detail-oriented guy,” he explained. “If you’re going to do this, something this insane…do you really want an investor looking over your shoulder?”

We did sit down and taste the solera bourbon, which includes aged stock they bought and mingled with small-barrel aged Hillrock distillate. It is a good whiskey, with a cinnamon-spicy, fruit-laced finish. Dave recalled his excitement when that spicy note appeared. “That’s from that field,” he said. It was proof of the terroir concept, when they knew they had something with the estate-grown grain concept.

The solera bourbon will be available in New York around the beginning of October, as will a single malt whisky that is about to begin a wood finishing process. Dave was a bit cagey about that, only saying that he’d done research and found a dynamite wood to season whiskey; further pressure would only get that it was a type of fruit tree. Or maybe a nut tree. And he wouldn’t tell me more.

The tasting room is more like a small vineyard than most small distillery’s, with graceful wood furniture and samples of locally-grown foods. The whole place is simply elegant, and will make a great tour once it’s open.

There’s not going to be a lot of whiskey out of Hillrock, but I suspect we’ll be seeing more of them, and more of this type of high-end distillery; like Distillery No. 209, a high-end gin distillery in San Francisco that I visited last fall. This is going to be part of the future of whiskey distilling, a small and very interesting part.

At a press conference in London this evening Robert Parker, famous for “making or breaking” wine brands by scoring them out of 100, said that if ever a gin deserved 100 points it was Monkey 47.

Parker said: “Monkey 47 is the greatest gin I have ever tasted. It’s as good as it gets. If ever a gin deserves 100 points it’s that.

“The aromatics on it are just amazing.”

He added: “I tweeted about it and the owner sent me a letter, he was really pleased and he said they tried to make this gin like a wine.”

Wing Commander Montgomery Collins of the RAF created the gin when he was posted to the British zone of Berlin after the World War II, inspired both by the local flora and his upbringing in Madras.

Collins also sponsored a monkey in Berlin Zoo and later opened a guesthouse called the Wild Monkey. When the house was being done up at the start of this century the recipe was rediscovered and the gin was reborn as Monkey 47.

Monkey 47 is distributed by Spirit Cartel in the UK and retails for £40-£50.

In the early 1800’s, New York produced more than half the young nation’s Barley and Rye and the Hudson Valley was the country’s breadbasket. With abundant high quality grain, local craft spirits flourished and over 1000 farm distilleries produced Whiskey and Gin reflecting the unique terroir of the region. In the 1930’s, Prohibition forced these distilleries to shut their doors and this wellspring of American spirits was left dry.

Hillrock Estate Distillery is changing this. Our mission is to produce the finest hand-crafted spirits made with our own grain, floor malted, craft distilled in our copper pot still, aged in fine oak and hand bottled at our estate in the Hudson Valley Highlands. Crowned by a fine 1806 Georgian house built by a successful grain merchant and Revolutionary War Captain and meticulously restored to its original beauty, Hillrock Distillery overlooks our rolling barley fields and the distant Berkshire Mountains. Like our premier spirits, every detail refined, no expense spared, quality steeped in the tradition of 200 years of rich history.

Hillrock Estate Distillery is located in the heart of the historic Hudson Valley two hours north of New York overlooking rolling hills and the distant Berkshire Mountains. Prime farmland, crystal clear water, favorable climate and a rich local history of fine spirits make a unique terroir which is profoundly expressed in Hillrock’s whiskeys.

Hillrock House was carefully restored in 2006 and the Palladian window above the entry is proudly displayed on the Hillrock bottle. Original twelve over twelve, wavy glass windows, hand planed wide board floors and period doors and trim speak of another era. The fine details and craftsmanship of the house reflect the pride of the region two hundred years ago and Hillrock’s commitment to quality and tradition.

The Hillrock Distillery, Malt House, Granary and Barrel Houses are located at the center of the estate surrounded by our rolling grain fields. Integrated into the landscape, the traditional barn structures convey a simple, timeless elegance. The complex also forms the heart of our “field-to-glass” craft distilling operation.The Distillery houses Hillrock’s custom-made copper distillation equipment. Our copper pot still, mash tun and spirit receiver were hand made by American craftsmen to our specifications. Housed in a traditional barn, the state-of-the-art equipment provides our master distiller with extraordinary control over the character and quality of each individual small batch of our premier artisanal spirits.